U.S. Extradition Lawyers Tuesday, August 23, 2011 www.McNabbAssociates.com Mexican Drug Cartel Leader Extradited to US to Face Drug Conspiracy Charges McNabb Associates, P.C. (U.S. Extradition Attorneys) Submitted at 11:29 AM August 23, 2011 On Monday, August 22, 2011 the Department of Justice released the following: High-Ranking Member of Mexican Gulf Cartel Extradited to the United States to Face Drug Conspiracy Charges. Aurelio Cano-Flores, aka “Yankee” and “Yeyo,” a highranking member of the Mexican Gulf Cartel, has been extradited to the United States from Mexico to face drug conspiracy charges, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and Administrator Michele M. Leonhart of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Cano-Flores, 39, made his initial appearance today before U.S. Magistrate Judge John M. Facciola in the District of Columbia, after being extradited to the United States on Aug. 19, 2011. Cano-Flores was ordered detained in federal custody pending trial. Cano-Flores had been in the custody of Mexican authorities pending extradition since his arrest on June 10, 2009. Cano-Flores was charged, along with 19 other defendants, in a superseding indictment returned on Nov. 4, 2010. He is charged with conspiracy to manufacture and distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine and 1,000 kilograms or more of marijuana for importation into the United States. “As charged in the indictment, Cano-Flores led the Gulf Cartel’s drug trafficking activities in Camargo, Mexico,” said Assistant Attorney General Breuer. “Cano-Flores was allegedly responsible for ensuring that multi-ton quantities of cocaine, heroin and marijuana were shipped into the United States, and that the illegal drug proceeds were subsequently funneled back into Mexico. Together with our counterparts across the border, the Justice Department is committed to bringing cartel leaders and associates to justice for their crimes, and the violence and destruction they cause.” “Today we have brought to a court of law Aurelio Cano-Flores, a major drug trafficker connected to the extreme violence of the Los Zetas and Gulf Cartels and who allegedly is responsible for transporting multi-ton quantities of drugs into the United States,” said DEA Administrator Leonhart. “This is part of a concerted, combined, and coordinated effort by Mexico and the United States to target the command and control of the drug trafficking cartels. This extradition is another example of our enduring commitment to bring to justice violent criminals who deny justice to others, and whose drugs are a threat to both our nations.” According to court documents, Cano-Flores was a high-ranking member of the Gulf Cartel when it worked in close partnership with Los Zetas, collectively known as “The Company.” The Gulf Cartel allegedly transported shipments of cocaine and marijuana by motor vehicles from Mexico to cities in Texas for distribution to other cities within the United States. The indictment alleges that Cano-Flores, his co-defendants and others organized, directed, and carried out various acts of violence against Mexican law enforcement officers and rival drug traffickers to retaliate against and to intimidate anyone who interfered with, or who were perceived to potentially interfere with, the cocaine and marijuana trafficking activities of the Gulf Cartel. According to the indictment, from June 2006 until his arrest, Cano-Flores’s role was to oversee drug trafficking activities in Camargo, Nuevo Leon, Mexico, including procuring for distribution significant quantities of cocaine, heroin and bulk marijuana. Cano-Flores also is alleged to have coordinated the movement of illegal narcotics from Mexico into the United States as well as the repatriation of drug proceeds into Mexico. The Gulf Cartel controls most of the cocaine and marijuana trafficking through the Matamoros, Mexico, corridor to the United States. Los Zetas began as the enforcement wing of the Gulf Cartel, but has emerged in recent years as an independent drug trafficking organization. On April 15, 2009, under the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act, the President identified Los Zetas as a Significant Foreign Narcotics Trafficker. On July 20, 2009, the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) also identified the leadership of Los Zetas, Heriberto Lazcano-Lazcano and Miguel Angel Trevino Morales, as Significant Foreign Narcotics Traffickers. Both men are named U.S. Extradition Lawyers Tuesday, August 23, 2011 2 as co-defendants in the indictment charging Cano-Flores. On July 25, 2011, an executive order was issued that blocks the transfer, payment or export of property belonging to certain transnational criminal organizations, including Los Zetas. The department expressed its gratitude and appreciation to the government of Mexico for its cooperation and assistance in the apprehension and extradition of Cano-Flores. An indictment is merely an allegation, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. If convicted, Cano-Flores faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison and a maximum penalty of life in prison. The case is being prosecuted by trial attorneys from the Criminal Division’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section. The Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs provided significant assistance in the extradition. The investigation in this case was led by the DEA’s Houston Field Division and the DEA Bilateral Investigation Unit. To find additional global criminal news, please read The Global Criminal Defense Daily. Douglas McNabb and other members of the U.S. law firm practice and write extensively on matters involving Federal Criminal Defense, INTERPOL Red Notice Removal, International Extradition and OFAC SDN List Removal. The author of this blog is Douglas McNabb. Please feel free to contact him directly at mcnabb@mcnabbassociates.com or at one of the offices listed above. HSI Investigation Leads to the Extradition of Chinese Gang Leader Accused of Double Murder McNabb Associates, P.C. (U.S. Extradition Attorneys) Submitted at 11:46 AM August 23, 2011 A Chinese gang leader was extradited from Canada to face charges of murdering two individuals in a Queens nightclub in 2004. This extradition is the result of an extensive investigation led by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), with the assistance of the following law enforcement partners: HSI's attaché in Toronto; the Toronto Police Service; the Royal Canadian Mounted Police; the New York City Police Department (NYPD); the U.S. Marshals Service; and the U.S. Department of Justice's Criminal Division, Office of International Affairs. Xing Lin, a Chinese national, was arrested in Toronto on April 14, and arrived in New York on Aug. 19. Lin was charged along with another individual, Hao Chao, in an indictment that was unsealed in Manhattan federal court on Monday. "This extradition embodies HSI's resolve to bring an alleged cold hearted murderer to justice, no matter where in the world he tried to hide," said James T. Hayes, Jr., special agent in charge of HSI in New York. "I commend HSI's Violent Gang Unit, our attaché in Toronto, the NYPD, and our international law enforcement partners for closing the chapter on this cold case." "Xing Lin believed that by fleeing the country he could evade the consequences of the deadly crimes he allegedly committed in connection with a gangland turf battle," said U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara, Southern District of New York. "It took 11 years, but thanks to the cooperative efforts of our law enforcement partners here and in Canada, he will now be brought to justice." According to court documents, Lin, a gang leader in New York City's Chinese community, owned various businesses including unlicensed bus services and illegal gambling parlors. On several occasions, Lin had violent confrontations with rival bus company owners and rival gambling parlor owners, including one incident where he stabbed a competitor, who in turn shot him. In the summer of 2004, Lin was involved in an ongoing dispute with Chang Qin Zhou, a rival bus company owner, over division of territory and clientele in the bus business. Lin threatened and assaulted Zhou in an effort to force him to relinquish certain territory and clientele. On July 30, 2004, Lin learned that Zhou was in a private room at a nightclub in Queens. Lin and Chao, a member of his gang, entered the room and Lin told Chao to "finish him." Chao then shot Zhou numerous times in the torso at close range, emptying his gun's chamber and killing him. In the process of shooting at Zhou, Chao shot and killed a young waitress who was caught in the crossfire. Chao also shot and wounded another waitress. If convicted, Lin faces life in prison. This article was published by The Australian on August 19, 2011. To find additional global criminal news, please read The Global Criminal Defense Daily. U.S. Extradition Lawyers Tuesday, August 23, 2011 3 Douglas McNabb and other members of the U.S. law firm practice and write extensively on matters involving Federal Criminal Defense, INTERPOL Red Notice Removal, International Extradition and OFAC SDN List Removal. The author of this blog is Douglas McNabb. Please feel free to contact him directly at mcnabb@mcnabbassociates.com or at one of the offices listed above.

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